The cable telecommunications industry has traditionally employed metallic coaxial (“coax”) cabling to deliver video signals. Conductors that transport these signals are typically connected within a telecommunications network to various coax devices such as nodes, amplifiers, and line extenders. The conductors are typically connected to the coax devices with connectors designed to minimize signal loss and match impedance values.
Coax devices may be located indoors or outdoors and may be ground-installed or aerially hung from a conductor strand. Whether a coax device is mounted inside a cabinet affixed to the ground, or installed aerially, a technician typically installs a stinger, a device known in the art for providing a RF connection, through a penetration in the coax device housing. The stinger typically comprises a hollow metallic shell threaded on the outside, a center conductor, and a dielectric interposed between the conductor and the inner surface of the shell. The center conductor projects axially from the stinger such that the device resembles a bee stinger, hence the name. There are various types and styles of stingers known in the art, with some stingers designed for lab testing and some designed for field-use. In a lab-test style stinger, the end opposing the projecting conductor typically has a RF terminal. The field-use stinger typically has a mechanism for capturing and transferring electrical signals to the shield and conductor of a coaxial cable.
To install a stinger into a coax device, the stinger is typically threaded into the coax device housing so that the center conductor projects within the housing to a predetermined position so that electrical connection is made between the stinger and a stinger receiving means within the housing. A typical stinger receiving means comprises a seizing connector that is adapted to seize the inserted center conductor.
In order for a stinger to be accurately installed and make a good electrical connection with the stinger receiving means, the center conductor must be of an appropriate length. Typically, a technician trims the center conductor to a length appropriate for the particular coax device to which the stinger is to be installed. To assist technicians in making a proper cut of the center conductor, a reference line may be provided at the base of the coaxial device housing. The reference line is typically provided a predetermined distance from the edge of the housing so that the distance between the housing edge and the reference line defines the appropriate stinger conductor length. The technician holds the stinger to the housing base and trims the center conductor at a point corresponding to the reference line. The center conductor may then be deburred using a file.
This prior art technique has several drawbacks, however. First, changing technology has necessitated increasingly accurate conductor lengths. Thus, whereas this prior art method of “eyeballing” the conductor against a reference line on the housing was once sufficiently accurate, it now often leads to conductor lengths outside of acceptable tolerances. These inaccurate conductor lengths require repair and increase installation time. Furthermore, it is often difficult to access the afore-mentioned reference line on the coaxial device housing, which may be inaccessible or require that the device be turned upside down. In addition, because the prior art method requires the use of a reference line on the coax device housing to determine a proper conductor length, the technician must be in the vicinity of the housing in order to prepare the stinger for installation. The prior art technique also does not provide uniform cut angles and the filing of the cut ends often results in inconsistent conductor shapes.
Thus, there is a need for a method and system that simplifies the process of preparing a stinger for connection with a coax device and which provides for accurate cuts of a stinger center conductor. There is also a need for a method and system that allows for the preparation of a stinger when a user is not in the vicinity of a coax device housing, thereby allowing technicians to precut conductor lengths away from a job site. There is also a need for a method and system that allows for the easy deburring of a stinger center conductor and results in consistent cut angles and conductor shapes.